The Barista’s Guide to Surviving Starbucks
Understanding Drink Sizes If the sizes Short, Tall, Grande, Venti and Trenta confuse you, then here’s a breakdown: Many people get confused by the names of the sizes used at Starbucks. Why is a small called a tall, doesn’t tall usually mean big? Why is grande the medium, when grande means big in Spanish? Why is a venti iced twenty-six ounces and a venti hot only twenty ounces? That only half makes sense, since venti is twenty in Italian. Why do they use words both in Spanish and Italian? I cannot answer any of these questions for you, but there are some things I can tell you that will help. When you go to Starbucks, I promise you, that the baristas will not be mad at you for saying small, medium or large. However, we will be annoyed if you spend five minutes trying to figure it out on your own, and hold up our line. I will also tell you, that if you ask for a small, we will repeat it back as a tall. This can sometimes be confusing if you don’t have an idea of our size names. Many times someone will ask for a small and we will repeat back saying a tall, and they will respond saying “No, I said a small.” We understand and we promise we will get you the right size, no matter if you call it a large or a venti or any other name like it. Different Types of Drinks There are an endless number of drink combinations that Starbucks offers, but here I’m just going to talk about and explain the basics. I will talk about brewed coffee, iced coffee, cold brew, espresso, espresso macchiato, cafe latte, cappuccino, latte macchiato, caramel macchiato, americano, flat white, Starbucks double shot, chai tea latte, green tea latte, frappuccinos, hot and iced teas, refreshers, and hot chocolates. Brewed Coffee: There are three types of coffee that every store will brew. This includes blonde roast, medium roast and dark roast. Blonde roast is a lighter flavor than the medium and dark, but has the most caffeine. This is because the beans are not roasted for as long. The medium roast is exactly what it says, it’s the middle. Not too light or too dark for regular coffee drinkers, there is also a decaf option of the medium roast in almost all Starbucks stores. The dark roast is for those who like a strong roasty flavor when they drink coffee. Iced Coffee & Cold Brew: Iced coffee is brewed hot then poured over ice. This sometimes can cause a strong burnt flavor when drinking. On the other side, the cold brew is slow steeped for 20 hours, which creates a smooth and rich flavor. For most people the decision between iced coffee and cold brew is a personal preference. Many people who like our iced coffee find the cold brew to just be too strong of a coffee flavor. Espresso & Espresso Macchiato: At Starbucks you can simply order a shot of espresso if you choose. You can get a single, doppio, triple, quad, etc. You can also get it macchiato style, which adds a scoop of foam on top of the shots. Cafe Latte: The cafe latte is shots of espresso with milk poured on top, with a small amount of foam. The standard milk with a latte is 2%, but this is customizable if you’d like another milk. You can also add flavors to this drink if you so choose, which I will talk about more later. Cappuccino: The cappuccino is similar to the cafe latte, the only difference is the amount of foam. In a cappuccino it is half steamed milk and half foam, to create a lighter a frothier flavor. Latte Macchiato: The latte macchiato is the exact opposite of the cafe latte. It starts with the milk and then is layered with the shots of espresso on top. The standard for the latte macchiato is whole milk, which is also customizable. Caramel Macchiato: This is a very popular drink at Starbucks. It is similar to the latte macchiato, since it is layered with milk then shots. The difference is that it has vanilla syrup inside it, it is made with 2% milk, and is then drizzled with caramel on top of the espresso. Americano: The Americano is similar to our brewed coffee, but provides a stronger flavor. It is shots of espresso and water. Many people will get this as a substitute for the dark roast. Flat White: The flat white is similar to the latte. The shots are on the bottom and are pulled ristretto. This means they are pulled faster, whihc makes them taste a little sweeter. The standard milk is whole milk, and the drink is finished with just a dot of foam on top. Starbucks Double Shot: The Starbucks double shot is a select number of shots shaken over ice and then poured into the cup and topped with 2% milk. It also contains classic, which is our standard liquid sugar. Many people will substitute this for a different flavor they enjoy. Chai Tea Latte & Green Tea Latte: The chai tea latte is made with our chai syrup and contains a decent amount of caffeine. It is made with half water and half steamed milk. It can also be made iced. Our great tea latte is made with our matcha powder, which also contains a lot of caffeine. Both drinks are made with the standard 2% milk and can be substituted with another milk if preferred. Frappuccino: The frappuccino is most comparable to a milkshake. There are a multitude of Frappuccino flavors available, but the most common are coffee, java chip, and vanilla bean. Most of our Frappuccino’s are made with coffee, but any of them can be made either decaf or without the coffee all together. They are made with our Frappuccino Roast coffee, whole milk, whatever flavor is picked, base to help it blend, and ice of course. Hot Teas: We have many types of hot tea. We have black teas, including royal English breakfast and early grey; we have green teas, including emperors cloud, jade citrus mint, and mint majesty (which is caffeine free); we also have an herbal tea including our peach tranquility. We recently debuted three new teas called rev up, defense, and comfort. The comfort tea is caffeine free as well. You can also add steamed lemonade to your hot tea if you like. Iced Teas: We have four types of iced tea. They include black tea, green tea, white tea, and passion tango tea. The passion tango tea is the only caffeine free option for iced teas. The standard for the teas is to come with liquid cane sugar, but you can request for it to be sugar free. In addition to this, all the teas can have lemonade added or one of our tea infusions. The tea infusion flavors include peach, strawberry, and pineapple. Refreshers: There are three Starbucks refresher flavors including strawberry açaí, very berry hibiscus, and the newest addition, mango dragonfruit. These refreshers contain a large quantity of caffeine, thanks to the green espresso beans that are used to make them. The refreshers can also be made with lemonade, and a favorite of many people is to add coconut milk to them. Hot Chocolates: Like our Frappuccino’s, we can take any of our syrups and create a hot, coffee free, steamer. This can be made with our mocha and vanilla to create hot chocolate, or if your flavor is hazelnut, you can get a hazelnut steamer, it‘s really up to you. Proper Way To Order A Drink When ordering at Starbucks the best way for a barista to get your drink wrong is when you don’t say everything you want and you don’t say it in the correct order. There are so many little details and variations it can be easy to get lost and forget something that could actually be very important about your drink. For starters, you want to tell the barista if your drink is going to be HOT or ICED. Next, you want to tell the barista what size you’d like: short, tall, grande, venti, trenta. After that you want to say the name of the drink, such as iced coffee or caramel macchiato. Lastly, if there are any changes from the original drink you would like to make you would say it now, such as light ice, extra hot, a milk substitute, only 2 pumps, etc. Now let’s practice with a couple different drinks... “Could I have an iced grande cold brew with light coconut milk, two pumps vanilla, and no water.” “Could I have a hot venti skinny vanilla latte, with almond milk and extra hot.” “Could I have a hot tall americano with four Splenda and cream.” This removes any possible confusion or questions to be asked. Many times someone will say just “caramel macchiato” but with only that information the barista now needs to ask “what size” “hot or iced” and they have to hope you didn’t forget to tell them something else after they’ve already made your drink. Tricks and Tips If you’re looking to get the best “bang for your buck” then here are some tips and tricks to follow... If you want an iced latte, but you don’t want it to be “too milky” or just want a cheaper version, you can order iced (however many shots you want) espresso, then take it over to the condiment bar and fill it with however much milk you want. If you’re getting an iced tea or refresher, you can ask for no water which will double your amount of tea/refresher in your drink, or if you want to try something different, you can ask for tea instead of water in your refresher. My favorite combination is green tea and the strawberry açaí refresher. If you’re getting an iced tea, iced coffee or refresher, you can ask for no ice and they will fill it all the way up for you. This way you can get more and add ice later yourself if you want. Also keeps it from getting watered down over time. Another thing many people don’t know is that if you’re sitting and hanging out at the Starbucks or studying you can get refills on Iced Tea, Hot Tea, Iced Coffee, Cold Brew, and Hot Coffee for just fifty cents, or for free if you’re a Starbucks Rewards Member! Speaking of Starbucks Rewards... it really is worth it! Many places have rewards systems that really don’t benefit customers, but you’re honestly wasting money if you aren’t a rewards member. For every dollar you spend, you get 2 stars and once you get 125 stars you get a free food/beverage item, which could equate up to $8 of savings by just simply registering and scanning this rewards card whenever you order!